Ask "Z"

Hold that holiday message to the staff

December 13, 2019
Q. I’m not sure what to say to the staff at the start of the holiday party this year, and I’m always nervous in front of that many people (about 500). We didn’t have a good year at all … any advice?

To tweet or not to tweet?

November 7, 2019
Q. What sort of advice do you give leaders about their personal use of social media?

Leadership by watching, waiting

November 7, 2019
Q. What is the biggest mistake you see leaders making today?

It’s OK to lose The Battle of 4:00

October 10, 2019
Q. I can sense my staff fading slightly toward the very end of the day. Their productivity flags starting at 4:00. How do I counter this?

Homework should stay in school

September 12, 2019
Q. I noticed a lot of companies assigning business books for employees to read and discuss, so I tried it here, and everyone seems unenthused. Have I latched unwisely onto a fad that doesn’t have a lot of merit?

The first clue was the due date March 32nd

August 8, 2019
Q. For years, I’ve set phony deadlines for my project teams. I build in a buffer, but they don’t know that. Lately, they’re starting to suspect I’m forcing them to make a false deadline. Should I level with them?

Open office, open mutiny

August 8, 2019
Q. Two months ago our office switched to an open office plan, which was partly my idea. And guess what? Everyone pretty much hates it. How do I salvage this situation when reverting back to the old way would shine so much light on my bad decision?

Say goodbye to yesterday

July 11, 2019
Q. Since last fall I’ve made a few big decisions that backfired for our organization. I’m starting to doubt my ability to lead. How can I regain my edge?

Oh, these people…

July 11, 2019
Q. Over the years I’ve become more annoyed by certain idiosyncrasies in others: fidgeting, casual tardiness, whispery voices, terrible grammar, etc. Little things like this make me seethe. How do I snap out of it?

That age-old struggle, work/life balance

June 13, 2019
Q. I find it very difficult to overcome the feeling that all my hard work is causing me to miss too much of my children’s lives. Any advice?